By Trish Corcoran
Young people around Australia are discussing the state of world politics in preparation for the 24th national conference of Resistance. The conference will be held in Melbourne, July 8-10.
The discussion is wide-ranging: from the crisis in two-party politics around the globe, to the New World Order and wars that are raging in many countries; from the increase in poverty and wealth polarisation, to the ecological crisis; the prospects for democratic socialism, and the role that youth can play in the struggle.
The discussions are taking place around a draft political resolution that will be presented to the conference, and that Resistance is planning to publish once it is discussed and voted on by members of Resistance.
Natasha Simons, national coordinator of Resistance, explained: "Deciding on a political resolution for an organisation like Resistance is a very important process. By including all our members in the discussion, we can be confident that we will have a document that is rich with an understanding and analysis of politics today and how it relates to young people.
"The resolution will have a very dynamic approach, because our members are not just analysing politics from the sideline, but are involved in political issues. We are actively campaigning to impact upon world politics. We can see the bankruptcy of the system, and we are fighting for a democratic, ecologically sustainable and socialist society."
The draft political resolution outlines the crisis in capitalist politics, and more specifically the crisis that some of the traditional capitalist parties are finding themselves in: "In the 1995 US Congressional elections, for example, the Republicans 'won' with only 20% of the eligible vote. In the 1995 NSW elections the Labor Party 'won' with the primary votes of only 37.6% of eligible voters in the state."
The draft document reminds us of the promises of the New World Order — peace, democracy and progress. We are clearly not living in an era of peace: "Today war rages in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Cambodia, East Timor, Bougainville, and it threatens to re-erupt in Burundi, Rwanda and Somalia".
How do we fare in the arena of "progress"? "While the relentless drive for privatisation, deregulation and structural adjustment may have temporarily boosted the profits of the corporate monopolies, it has also created a global army of some 600 million unemployed (29 million in the most developed countries of the OECD)."
While the imperialist countries are still trying to put the blame, and the responsibility, for the ecological crisis onto the shoulders of the poor countries, some statistics in the draft document illustrate what a cynical exercise this is: "Every day the world economy burns up an amount of energy that it took the planet 10,000 days to create ... Some 50% of this energy is consumed by ... the USA."
The draft resolution lays bare the horrors and crises of the capitalist system, but it is not a document of despair. It looks toward a society based on "the prioritising of social need through the direct democratic empowerment of the currently oppressed and exploited majority of the world's population". It states boldly, "Democratic socialism is not a dream, but a necessity".
The Resistance conference will be an inspirational three days of discussion around the sorts of issues raised in the draft political resolution. There will be speakers from the student movement in Indonesia and the Philippines, an activist from East Timor and another East Timor solidarity activist from the Philippines.
There will be lots of Resistance members discussing campaigns happening in Australia: from workers rights to the campaign for free education and the campaign for a free East Timor, to name just a few.
Any young people interested in campaigning for a better society should attend this conference. Get in touch with your local Resistance branch if you would like to attend, or call the Resistance national office on (02) 690 1230.